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Summary

When Billy gets drunk on alcohol, he gets morose. In years gone by he would have been violent. Now, he just sits. And broods.

But when he's drunk and punchy on adrenaline and exhaustion, he sits, and in that soft-spoken, achingly matter-of-fact way he's got, he talks. It's the only time you can get him to talk about the old days.

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Summary

No slur in his voice, no hesitation, like he’d thought about it before and decided a long time ago, Yeah, that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna eat Billy, and had just been waiting around for Billy to ask the question.

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Summary

Billy held himself back, held himself at arm’s length, until Joe over-reached. Until Joe’s genuine affection -- partly permitted but mostly muzzled -- mixed with Billy’s coolness into a cocktail that filled Joe like a cup with a hole in it.